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Technical Writing in the Digital Age: Difference between revisions
Technical Writing in the Digital Age (view source)
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Organizations are obligated to treat customers fairly. Technical communicators must convey that the products or services an organization sells are safe and effective.<ref name=":0" /> | Organizations are obligated to treat customers fairly. Technical communicators must convey that the products or services an organization sells are safe and effective.<ref name=":0" /> | ||
Technical communicators may occasionally work for an organization with strict privacy policies that prohibit they from using the documents they create outside of the organization. It is important for ethical communicators to follow the privacy policy for their organization because unauthorized release of information could lead to consequences up to an including termination.<ref name=":4" /> | |||
Technical communicators have an obligation to the environment. This obligation includes alerting their supervisors, managers, and executive leadership to products or processes that are detrimental to the environment. Disposal of hazardous waste is far more costly than dumping it. Organizations could be tempted to skirt the legal procedures.<ref name=":0" /> One would hope that the penalty of 5 years and/or up to $50,000 per day for knowingly disposing of hazardous waste in a way contrary to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's regulations would be a sufficient deterrent.[https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/criminal-provisions-resource-conservation-and-recovery-act-rcra] | Technical communicators have an obligation to the environment. This obligation includes alerting their supervisors, managers, and executive leadership to products or processes that are detrimental to the environment. Disposal of hazardous waste is far more costly than dumping it. Organizations could be tempted to skirt the legal procedures.<ref name=":0" /> One would hope that the penalty of 5 years and/or up to $50,000 per day for knowingly disposing of hazardous waste in a way contrary to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's regulations would be a sufficient deterrent.[https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/criminal-provisions-resource-conservation-and-recovery-act-rcra] | ||
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One major ethical concern in all forms of writing, but especially in digital writing, is the creation and spread of disinformation. Disinformation, often referred to as "[[w:Fake news|fake news]]," is information that is purposefully spread as false or misleading and is a sub-type of misinformation.<ref>Lawrence, Dan. (2022). ''Digital Writing: A Guide to Writing for Social Media and the Web.'' Broadview Press. </ref> Modern communication technologies allow for the spread of information to occur at a fast pace. Social media is one area where the spread of disinformation occurs regularly. Some social media sites, such as Facebook, have begun to flag certain articles posted on the site as being questionable in their representation of facts or occurrences. Despite the widespread understanding and use of disinformation available today, digital writers need to be aware of their intent and the audience's needs and wants from their digital communication.<ref>Lucas, Gerald. (September 13, 2023). "Audience-Centric Style in Digital Writing" in ''From Reading to Writing: A Composition FAQ Textbook.'' Retrieved October 22, 2023. https://grlucas.net/grl/CompFAQ/Digital_Writing/Style</ref> Ethical considerations regarding citing sources, cross-referencing information, and using primary sources are good practices for maintaining ethical standing and credibility as a digital writer. | One major ethical concern in all forms of writing, but especially in digital writing, is the creation and spread of disinformation. Disinformation, often referred to as "[[w:Fake news|fake news]]," is information that is purposefully spread as false or misleading and is a sub-type of misinformation.<ref>Lawrence, Dan. (2022). ''Digital Writing: A Guide to Writing for Social Media and the Web.'' Broadview Press. </ref> Modern communication technologies allow for the spread of information to occur at a fast pace. Social media is one area where the spread of disinformation occurs regularly. Some social media sites, such as Facebook, have begun to flag certain articles posted on the site as being questionable in their representation of facts or occurrences. Despite the widespread understanding and use of disinformation available today, digital writers need to be aware of their intent and the audience's needs and wants from their digital communication.<ref>Lucas, Gerald. (September 13, 2023). "Audience-Centric Style in Digital Writing" in ''From Reading to Writing: A Composition FAQ Textbook.'' Retrieved October 22, 2023. https://grlucas.net/grl/CompFAQ/Digital_Writing/Style</ref> Ethical considerations regarding citing sources, cross-referencing information, and using primary sources are good practices for maintaining ethical standing and credibility as a digital writer. | ||
To help mitigate the problem of disinformation, technical writers should utilize gatekeepers. These individuals verify the accuracy of the information before it is distributed to primary readers. This helps protect the author from any ethical and/or legal issues.<ref>Balzotti, Jon (2022). ''Technical Communication: A Design-Centric Approach''. New York. Routledge. p. | To help mitigate the problem of disinformation, technical writers should utilize gatekeepers. These individuals verify the accuracy of the information before it is distributed to primary readers. This helps protect the author from any ethical and/or legal issues.<ref name=":4">"Ethics" Balzotti, Jon (2022). ''Technical Communication: A Design-Centric Approach''. New York. Routledge. p. 83. ISBN 978-1-003-00606-0</ref> | ||
== Pedagogical Approaches== | == Pedagogical Approaches== | ||